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Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men
An exclusive insider account with unprecedented access to Deion Sanders, his staff, and players, who are changing the culture of college football.
""A highly readable portrait of one of the most exciting coaches in college football."" – San Deigo Union-Tribune
""You won't find a more competitive person than Coach Prime. At Jackson State, he wanted to dominate and win.... Nothing has changed but the address. He wants to dominate and win a national championship at Colorado."" (from Coach Prime)
Known for decades as one of the NFL’s most iconic and spectacular playmakers, Deion Sanders remains college football's most intriguing newsmaker. In just three years, he has become the most talked about coach by recruiting elite players to moribund programs and reviving the spirit and pride of forgotten fanbases by winning. Along the way, he’s changing how we think about college sports while rejuvenating whole communities with the national attention that follows him and the fresh commerce a winning culture ignites.
First at Jackson State and now at Colorado, Sanders has displayed a knack for leading miraculous turnarounds of once-storied-but-long-irrelevant programs. Television cameras turn up for national broadcasts, gameday attendance skyrockets, economic impact reaches the tens of millions, and NFL scouts take renewed interest.
Meanwhile, off the field, Sanders displays an uncanny ability to connect with his players. Weekly chat sessions about life and love are the norm. His unyielding commitment to guiding his players to become exceptional men raises the bar on what parents and athletes expect from college coaches.
Now, with access no other reporter has been granted, veteran sports journalist Jean-Jacques Taylor takes readers inside one season with Deion Sanders to show the heart, mind, and culture of America's most innovative football coach and his team of would-be champions.
""A highly readable portrait of one of the most exciting coaches in college football."" – San Deigo Union-Tribune
""You won't find a more competitive person than Coach Prime. At Jackson State, he wanted to dominate and win.... Nothing has changed but the address. He wants to dominate and win a national championship at Colorado."" (from Coach Prime)
Known for decades as one of the NFL’s most iconic and spectacular playmakers, Deion Sanders remains college football's most intriguing newsmaker. In just three years, he has become the most talked about coach by recruiting elite players to moribund programs and reviving the spirit and pride of forgotten fanbases by winning. Along the way, he’s changing how we think about college sports while rejuvenating whole communities with the national attention that follows him and the fresh commerce a winning culture ignites.
First at Jackson State and now at Colorado, Sanders has displayed a knack for leading miraculous turnarounds of once-storied-but-long-irrelevant programs. Television cameras turn up for national broadcasts, gameday attendance skyrockets, economic impact reaches the tens of millions, and NFL scouts take renewed interest.
Meanwhile, off the field, Sanders displays an uncanny ability to connect with his players. Weekly chat sessions about life and love are the norm. His unyielding commitment to guiding his players to become exceptional men raises the bar on what parents and athletes expect from college coaches.
Now, with access no other reporter has been granted, veteran sports journalist Jean-Jacques Taylor takes readers inside one season with Deion Sanders to show the heart, mind, and culture of America's most innovative football coach and his team of would-be champions.
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Published October 10, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 19, 2023
Deion Sanders, aka “Prime Time” in his playing days, currently is taking the college football world by storm with his early success coaching the Colorado Buffaloes to early success in the 2023 season after they won only one game in 2022. For some, this really isn’t a surprise as this was similar to his experiences at Jackson State. This book is a great account of Sanders’ last season there as Jean-Jacques Taylor covers a lot of ground in that season.
One important note is that Taylor never calls the coach “Sanders” – throughout the book, he is known as “Coach Prime”. This is also how he refers to himself as did everyone else on the Jackson State campus. Even his son Shedeur, who was one of the stars for the Tigers (and currently for the Buffaloes), calls his father that name in the book. But more important than the name is how Coach Prime does his work.
Those who remember Coach Prime in his time as a baseball and football player may be surprised to read about this side of him. Many felt he was only about himself during his playing days and even if just watching his press conferences, one may come to that same conclusion. But this book does not focus on that and instead how Coach Prime is not only helping his players succeed on the football field but also in other aspects of life.
If the reader is not familiar with the atmosphere at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) they will be after reading this book. This was especially important to Coach Prime as he addressed many topics that would be important to a student body in HBCUs. There is even some attention to the few white players on the team. The team was very structured, had to follow many rules and if you broke them, you were only told “Get Out!” and not a word of protest was uttered.
The stories of these players are the heart of the book and is even better than the football sections which are also very good. Even if one has never heard of Jackson State, the reader will end up cheering for this team despite already knowing the outcome of their season. For those who want to learn why Colorado has taken the college football world by storm, this book will be one of the best ways to learn how.
I wish to thank Mariner Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
One important note is that Taylor never calls the coach “Sanders” – throughout the book, he is known as “Coach Prime”. This is also how he refers to himself as did everyone else on the Jackson State campus. Even his son Shedeur, who was one of the stars for the Tigers (and currently for the Buffaloes), calls his father that name in the book. But more important than the name is how Coach Prime does his work.
Those who remember Coach Prime in his time as a baseball and football player may be surprised to read about this side of him. Many felt he was only about himself during his playing days and even if just watching his press conferences, one may come to that same conclusion. But this book does not focus on that and instead how Coach Prime is not only helping his players succeed on the football field but also in other aspects of life.
If the reader is not familiar with the atmosphere at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) they will be after reading this book. This was especially important to Coach Prime as he addressed many topics that would be important to a student body in HBCUs. There is even some attention to the few white players on the team. The team was very structured, had to follow many rules and if you broke them, you were only told “Get Out!” and not a word of protest was uttered.
The stories of these players are the heart of the book and is even better than the football sections which are also very good. Even if one has never heard of Jackson State, the reader will end up cheering for this team despite already knowing the outcome of their season. For those who want to learn why Colorado has taken the college football world by storm, this book will be one of the best ways to learn how.
I wish to thank Mariner Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
March 4, 2024
The author of COACH PRIME is a fan club member and his writing sounds like a sports promo at Boulder, with its screaming fans hoping for a win after seasons of embarrassing results. College football has become a culture in and of itself and the Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) especially so due to the current racial discussions on the political scene.
This book is about the movement of Deion Sanders to the head football coach of Jackson State in Mississippi and his style of coaching, especially dealing with talented kids with a past. He breaks all traditions and has a way of relating with his coaches and players to demand performance while changing the total culture of the sport on the college campus. His two years at Jackson State and his one year at Colorado have turned around the football teams in a non-traditional way and filled the stands with paying customers. This book freely uses the language of the black youth culture that has not changed since my days in the military in the 1960s. I still say it will never be mainstream in a civil society.
True football fans will read and form a variety of options.
This book is about the movement of Deion Sanders to the head football coach of Jackson State in Mississippi and his style of coaching, especially dealing with talented kids with a past. He breaks all traditions and has a way of relating with his coaches and players to demand performance while changing the total culture of the sport on the college campus. His two years at Jackson State and his one year at Colorado have turned around the football teams in a non-traditional way and filled the stands with paying customers. This book freely uses the language of the black youth culture that has not changed since my days in the military in the 1960s. I still say it will never be mainstream in a civil society.
True football fans will read and form a variety of options.
September 19, 2025
4.5 stars. This book covers Deion’s arrival to Jackson State through his decision to leave for Colorado. Despite what you may think, he is a hard working, god fearing, old school coach. His demands on his team to be great men, great students, AND great players is more reminiscent of Bobby Knight than the modern players’ coaches of today’s NCAA. I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot in this book and I am rooting hard for Coach Prime to succeed in Colorado.
April 7, 2024
Not the most well-written book, but packed full of great Deion quotes and lessons that I have to rate it higher.
Main takeaway is that football is a lesson for life. A great leader, Deion instills the importance of discipline, hard work, and excellence. His goal is to use football as a platform to teach his athletes, coaches, and fans how to win in life.
Main takeaway is that football is a lesson for life. A great leader, Deion instills the importance of discipline, hard work, and excellence. His goal is to use football as a platform to teach his athletes, coaches, and fans how to win in life.
October 3, 2023
An inside look at Coach Prime’s time a Jackson State University.. Insightful and inspiring, Positive and very well written. Highly recommend..
The story flowed well and the characters were well developed.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****
The story flowed well and the characters were well developed.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****
September 11, 2023
Excellent behind the scenes look into Coach Primes years at JSU. Jam packed with insight & life lessons
September 3, 2023
I give it five stars. A great insight into the behind the scenes of Deion Sanders tenure as the head football coach of the Jackson State University Tigers. It provided me with a look inside the man known as Coach Prime along with his staff and players. The trials and tribulations that they were extraordinary and it was interesting to learn about the building of the program and its impact on the university community as well. It will be interesting to see how Coach Prime now does in his tenure at Colorado as the head coach there.
April 11, 2024
A very interesting read about a fascinating public figure and football coach. Prime, Prime Time, Coach Prime. Like so many other greats, he has a nickname that is famous in its own right. But now he’s coaching and changing programs and the lives of young men.
This book Was a really interesting look into Jackson State University, and it’s football team, which seem to come out of nowhere in Thrive. Unfortunately, this book is already outdated. Coach Prime Is off to the University of Colorado and is coaching there now. Well, I’m sure there is a lot to look forward to from him in the future, looks like this one. I’ve just come out too soon to get the full picture. Still, a fascinating read about his time at that program. An origin story, if you will.
Similar Books:
A Season Under the Sun (TB Bucs)
It’s Better to be Feared (NE Patriots)
Relentless (Edelman)
The Dynasty (NE Patriots)
Good to be Gronk (Gronkowski)
Friday Night Lights
Above the Line (Urban Meyer)
LT: Over the Edge (Taylor)
All the Way (Namath)
QB (Young)
I Feel Like Going On (Lewis)
Chasing the Bear (Alabama)
This book Was a really interesting look into Jackson State University, and it’s football team, which seem to come out of nowhere in Thrive. Unfortunately, this book is already outdated. Coach Prime Is off to the University of Colorado and is coaching there now. Well, I’m sure there is a lot to look forward to from him in the future, looks like this one. I’ve just come out too soon to get the full picture. Still, a fascinating read about his time at that program. An origin story, if you will.
Similar Books:
A Season Under the Sun (TB Bucs)
It’s Better to be Feared (NE Patriots)
Relentless (Edelman)
The Dynasty (NE Patriots)
Good to be Gronk (Gronkowski)
Friday Night Lights
Above the Line (Urban Meyer)
LT: Over the Edge (Taylor)
All the Way (Namath)
QB (Young)
I Feel Like Going On (Lewis)
Chasing the Bear (Alabama)
May 16, 2024
An intimate account of couch PRIME’s time spent at JSU. It read like a documentary, exploring the players and coaches story’s. I was hopping for more of PRIME but it was good to hear from others on how his approach to life and coaching impacted lives. I think I will pick up a book penned by PRIME himself to quench my PRIME TIME craving. He is a dynamic man who doesn’t accept mediocrity. He calls himself and everyone around him to the highest standard. This was a fun read. Football junkies will love this book.
November 12, 2024
My takes: The writing made it a little hard to follow, and I would have liked to have more background on the players.
But you get a strong sense of what is driving Deion Sanders to be a great coach and role model for young men. And he is creating a new path in the oldest white male-dominated sport in America: college football.
But you get a strong sense of what is driving Deion Sanders to be a great coach and role model for young men. And he is creating a new path in the oldest white male-dominated sport in America: college football.
April 14, 2025
Got this book as a gift and sat on it awhile before cracking the cover. Appreciated the athletic talent in his playing days, but was never a huge Deion fan. That said, wanted to take a look behind the curtain and see what the fanfare was about when he became such a hot commodity in the coaching world.
Taylor's take on Deion was a bit choppy and wasn't the most well-written book in regard to flow, but it definitely highlighted some great Deion quotes and lessons and his use of football being a lesson for life for many of his players. It was evident that Deion emphasizes the importance of self-discipline, continuous hard work, and striving for excellence and dominance for individuals and the team.
Overall, as long as you go in knowing that it's not a Pulitzer contender, it will be worth the read.
Taylor's take on Deion was a bit choppy and wasn't the most well-written book in regard to flow, but it definitely highlighted some great Deion quotes and lessons and his use of football being a lesson for life for many of his players. It was evident that Deion emphasizes the importance of self-discipline, continuous hard work, and striving for excellence and dominance for individuals and the team.
Overall, as long as you go in knowing that it's not a Pulitzer contender, it will be worth the read.
October 23, 2023
The book shows how hard it is to balance your sports life and your personal life. Athletes play great one week, then lousy another week. Some weeks they have more distractions than other weeks from their personal lives. In the long run they become better leaders with self discipline.
April 5, 2025
Absolutely loved this book. It’s a deep dive into what drives Coach Prime and how he helps develop boys into men. There’s life lessons throughout and you get to see why Primetime is Primetime.
December 26, 2024
Coach Prime was pretty much about Deion Sanders's last season as the head football coach at Jackson State University (JSU). The book also explored the backgrounds of some of the players and assistant coaches on that 2022 Tigers (the school's mascot) football staff.
Coach Prime was a page turner for me because I enjoyed the constant football talk that encompassed just about every page of this book. When you are given year-long access to a football team, it is your job as an author to write an objective and engrossing book about that team and their season, and that's what author Jean-Jaques Taylor did with this book.
One of the things about this book that I appreciated was that even though it was Sanders who was on the cover of this book, and that he was the star of that 2022 Tiger football team, the author took it upon himself to dig deep into other individuals on that team. You had stories about players who were dealing with some serious family, monetary, and even mental issues off the field. Just because that 2022 team was 12-1 didn't mean that they were without their share of on and off the field struggles, and the author of this book made sure you knew that. No football team is ever perfect even if their record is perfect or is near perfection.
I didn't know this at the time, but through this book I learned that part of the reason why Sanders left JSU after the 2022 season was because of his relationship (or lack thereof) with the school's President Thomas Hudson. A good portion of chapter 11 was dedicated to that issue.
Taylor also included a lot of Black history and life lessons for young Black men and women who cared to read this book, which I appreciated. Because how can you write a book on an HBCU school and not include Black history and life lessons for Black men and women in it?
An interesting finishing touch of this book was how in the epilogue Taylor discussed the aftermath of Sanders leaving JSU for the University of Colorado. Plus, he added in that section where some of the players from that Tigers 2022 team ended up after they found Sanders was leaving.
In closing, the football talk about the 2022 Tigers football team implored me to like this book, not who was on the front cover of the book or the hype surrounding Sanders from 2022 to the present. This book came out in 2023, but I didn't buy it until summer 2024. Meanwhile, I believe this book is the first book ever written on Jackson State football, and I hope all Tiger football fans read this book or will read it.
Coach Prime was a page turner for me because I enjoyed the constant football talk that encompassed just about every page of this book. When you are given year-long access to a football team, it is your job as an author to write an objective and engrossing book about that team and their season, and that's what author Jean-Jaques Taylor did with this book.
One of the things about this book that I appreciated was that even though it was Sanders who was on the cover of this book, and that he was the star of that 2022 Tiger football team, the author took it upon himself to dig deep into other individuals on that team. You had stories about players who were dealing with some serious family, monetary, and even mental issues off the field. Just because that 2022 team was 12-1 didn't mean that they were without their share of on and off the field struggles, and the author of this book made sure you knew that. No football team is ever perfect even if their record is perfect or is near perfection.
I didn't know this at the time, but through this book I learned that part of the reason why Sanders left JSU after the 2022 season was because of his relationship (or lack thereof) with the school's President Thomas Hudson. A good portion of chapter 11 was dedicated to that issue.
Taylor also included a lot of Black history and life lessons for young Black men and women who cared to read this book, which I appreciated. Because how can you write a book on an HBCU school and not include Black history and life lessons for Black men and women in it?
An interesting finishing touch of this book was how in the epilogue Taylor discussed the aftermath of Sanders leaving JSU for the University of Colorado. Plus, he added in that section where some of the players from that Tigers 2022 team ended up after they found Sanders was leaving.
In closing, the football talk about the 2022 Tigers football team implored me to like this book, not who was on the front cover of the book or the hype surrounding Sanders from 2022 to the present. This book came out in 2023, but I didn't buy it until summer 2024. Meanwhile, I believe this book is the first book ever written on Jackson State football, and I hope all Tiger football fans read this book or will read it.
October 13, 2023
There's no doubt about it, Deion Sanders is a captivating figure. People are just instinctively drawn to him mainly because of his personality.. This book dives into the everyday life of the Jackson State football team during what would become Deion's last season at J-State. It covered his personal relationship with his players, coaches & it also briefly touches on his challenges with then JSU President Thomas Hudson. I found this book quite interesting. At times, however, I grew frustrated with the writing because of the transition between topics. In several instances, I had to read several sections multiple times because I got confused with the transitions. Because of this, I gave this book 4 stars. All in all, this book is a fairly good read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews